The Wild Card
by WindRyder1
Summary: All of Yu Narukami's Personae wake up at once and it's up to his friends to bring him back from the sea of his own soul. (A follow up to "The Magician." I recommend reading that story before this one so a few points make sense.)
1. Life Changing

**Author's Note: This is my attempt to write out a story similar to "The Magician" through Yu's point of view. It's in response to a challenge. **

**The idea gradually changed from simply copying the plot of the previous story and making this its own story. Yet as I finished this part, I realized there is a long way to go with this, and a lot to learn. I've never played the game. The Animation (and walk-throughs on Youtube) are my only exposure to Persona 4. Yet, I am addicted to this anime. I've connected with it for some reason, and fully claimed it as 'my anime.' **

**I've already written a story with two personalities under the "Seaquest" section of "TV shows." It's called "Skin Deep." That one took me 6 months to initially write. Check it out if you're curious about the plot line of two minds in one body. :) **

**This is a test to see if I can even do Persona 4 justice. Enjoy! R&R if you like. :)  
**

* * *

**THE WILD CARD**

_January 4__th__. Evening. Overcast. Dojima Residence._

Nanako had come home.

Yu Narukami finally felt like he could breath as he opened the door to the Dojima home and stepped aside to let his uncle carry in a very tired little girl.

Ryotaro pushed his shoes off at the door with ease and padded up the slim stairs to his daughter's room. He laid his angel on her bed and tucked a stuffed Loveline detective doll under her arm.

Nanako inhaled slightly at the motion and curled up into the comforts of home.

She was his heart, and he hadn't been able to see it until that heart was threatened. And he'd lost her. He gently brushed her hair back as she slept, and thanked every God and Goddess he knew of for returning his child to him. He would treasure her, make time for her, and thanks to his nephew, learn to understand her.

He carefully got up to leave her be and headed downstairs with her door remaining open.

Yu was in the kitchen with his head in the refrigerator. He came out with two cans –a melon soda for each of them. It was his small attempt to keep his uncle from drinking. "How is she?"

He took the offered drink and cracked it open. "Sleeping."

Both men took swigs of their drinks.

The question Yu had drifting in his mind for days surfaced again. He wondered if voicing this life-changing thought would be a good idea. Instead of being alone in his question, he felt a wash of reassurance from a source he knew to be Izanagi, his Persona. They were able to communicate on a level deeper than words. Thankfully he wasn't alone. Each of his friends shared a similar bond to their Persona, and understood exactly how he felt. Yosuke was the only one who dared to keep asking questions, because he found it completely fascinating. As did Yu, honestly. If it weren't for his persistence, the rest of them might not know minor details about their power. It turned out to help them during battles in the Shadow World.

"Uncle," he broke the silence, "there's something I've been thinking on for a long time, now. I was thinking... I have one year left in school, and I...kind of...want to spend it...here. In Inaba."

Ryotaro lowered his soft drink. "Oh, really."

Yu nodded once.

"What about your parents? Or your school in the city? Your mother and father would be upset to hear that you want to move out."

"I know. I don't want to upset them, or dishonor them. If they want me to come home, I will. But, if you can help me explain it to them, maybe they'll let me stay." He paused, "If you want me to stay." His heart beat quickly in apprehension. Living here started out as a boredom sentence, but now he knew this was where he belonged. He didn't want to be away from his uncle, or his friends –the truest friends he'd ever had- or Nanako. Being apart from any of them had become the punishment. He would be miserable. Sure, he would adjust, but the days would simply be hash marks on a calendar until he was able to return to this small town. "Your job asks a lot of you, and I know you love what you do. I can be here for Nanako. I want to. I'll contribute. I'll get another part time job helping Yosuke out at Junes, or at that day care."

Ryotaro stroked his chin, picked up the soda and finished it off, then set down the empty can and stared his nephew in the eye. "You know what the mark of a real man is, Yu? It's knowing what you have to do when you have to do it, and it's putting others before yourself. Believe it or not, your mother taught me that. I'd forgotten that lesson ever since my wife passed away, but you helped me to remember. I knew the moment I'd let you use her cup for coffee that you'd become a part of this family. The room is yours if you want it. I can give your mother a call in the morning."

Yu smiled and exhaled in relief. He bowed his head in gratitude. "Thank you."

"No promises, though. It all depends on what your parents say."

Of course that was the truth, and Yu accepted it. He felt like there was no way his parents would object. That night, Yu Narukami felt like he could fly.

...

_January 6__th__. Overcast. Junes snack isle #2 near the chips and Oreos._

He and Rise had been sent to get snacks for the group this time.

It was their turn since Teddy and Naoto had gone the day before. Rise carried a take-out plate of beefsticks for Chie, and slung a shopping basket in the crook of her arm holding popsicles for their resident bear and a small box of strawberries for Yukiko and Naoto –who both suggested something different from meat. 'More for me, then,' Chie had victoriously stated. Kanji hadn't cared either way, and everyone knew Yosuke would eat whatever appeared on the plate in front of him.

They moved down isle #2 of the snack foods –otherwise known as 'computer food', or 'Yosuke's Preferred Food Source'- looking for one more item for the rest of them to share. Yu didn't care what they ended up deciding on. Nanako had come home from the hospital the night before. Whatever happened, happened. Right now, as he listened to Rise Kujikawa spill the latest gossip gained from the girls on the Investigation Team, he was the happiest adopted big brother in all of Japan. He could stay this way forever, getting snacks, hearing about the news of a fog-free Inaba, and sitting with his friends at their usual table at the Junes food court. In fact, that desire was part of why they were all together today in the first place. He'd even discussed it with his Persona, and –of course—both thought it was a good idea. He wanted everyone together so he could tell them all the good news. Yu thought about how wonderful it would be to truthfully proclaim the four words he's wanted to say since he realized he wasn't alone anymore. _I'm staying in Inaba_. Yu grabbed a large bag of chips, smiled...

...And froze.

The sensation of extreme carpet shock coursed up from his feet to the top of his head, to his fingertips. It was similar to what he'd felt the day he'd arrived in Inaba close to a year ago. He hadn't touched any electrical devices beyond his cell phone today. For a moment, he worried whatever this charge was had fried it.

His hand twitched around the bag of chips as he heard Izanagi's voice.

_I have a bad feeling about this. _ _Prepare yourself, Yu._

The bag crushed in his fist. Without a seconds hesitation, he heard Pyrojack's roaring flames, felt the bite of Jack Frost's ice, followed briefly by Black Jack's nightmarish howl as the two Jack Brothers merged, then split again. More and more voices joined in until his mind was filled with a stadium of words knotting into incomprehensible gibberish. All other outside sounds disappeared. He strained to move, but something was holding him back, or more accurately, pulling him away from control.

"You look kind of pale." Rise touched his arm in worry. "Are you ok?"

"S-something's...wrong..." Yu staggered into the isle as his vision blurred- like someone had thrown flour in his face. He pressed his palm to his head, grabbed onto the shelf, and fell to the floor in an avalanche of chips.

"Senpai!"

Something drew him down away from his own senses. His sight dimmed, his hearing faded, even his sense of touch diminished until he was in darkness. It coiled its shadows around him in ropes that sent chills of desperate and voracious need for recognition through his body. It wanted him to join them, to be a part of them, to be tied up in their nest and live there in the fog. Yes, that was it. A fog that overwhelmed him. "_Who are you? What do you want?! Leave me alone_!" It was too much to take, too much to hear and process, too many wants, needs, and expectations. Every voice rallied for his attention and favor. _"Izanagi!"_ He screamed.

The familiar presence of Izanagi burst through, shattering the suffocating pressure with a brilliant burst of light. As soon as he was free, his Persona wrapped itself around him protectively. And there he stayed.

"Yu-Senpai!" Rise knelt by him and cradled his head in her lap. "Wake up! Someone help!" she pleaded to anyone within earshot of the suddenly lonely Junes isle. "Please! Someone! Help! Yu! _Yu_!"

* * *

**Dun Dun DUN!**

**I know these chapters are short, but I'm trying something new. It's called not being a bombast. :) I'll fail. :) **

**Next Scent: Awakening.**


	2. Awakening

**Author's note: I had to add this chapter immediately. Some of the next part is already written, but I still need to study up before continuing. Until then, here you go. :)**

* * *

_January 5__th__. Rain. Inaba General Hospital. _

Yosuke slouched in the chair with his cheek propped against his right fist. Yu lay in one of Inaba General's private hospital rooms. The EKG and EEG machines beeped steadily, indicating life still existed within the youth's body. He was breathing on his own, but he was completely unresponsive to anyone's voices. He wouldn't even respond to Teddy's loud, ebullient, annoying tone as he lavished compliment after compliment on his 'sensei.' Kanji, however, _did_ respond by shoving the short blond kid into the bathroom and jamming the door with a chair shoved under the knob. No one objected for a good five minutes.

It was nearing midnight, and it was –ironically enough—raining.

Yu had survived his confrontation with Tohru Adachi, and all of them had come away from the battle in one piece. Yu had even avoided becoming a shadow.

Yosuke remembered the command he'd given to Jiraiya's advanced form, Suzano'o. _Save him._ He'd reached out with his right arm, his Persona doing the same, and felt the power shatter the darkness overtaking his friend. He'd brought his arm to his chest in a 'catching' motion as Yu fell. Suzano'o mirrored the motion, caught the weakened Narukami, and protected him with as much spiritual energy as he could pull from his counterpart.

The fog in Inaba had lifted that day. The Goddess, Izanami, went back to observing Humanity from her ivory pedestal –or her Moel gas station—in wait for when her trials would again be needed, and Teddy's world within the T.V returned to its original beautiful paradise.

After all that, the last thing anyone expected was for the leader of their group to simply collapse in the chip isle at Junes without cause. A coma suffered over a bag of cool ranch Doritos.

He glanced to a slumbering Chie in a corner chair with her head propped against a pillow. He envied her ability to let herself relax enough to sleep. Yukiko had gone back to the Inn a couple of hours ago, though the phone conversation with her mother hadn't been pleasant as she rallied vigorously to stay the night in Yu's room. Yukiko doing anything with heat behind it was out of place for her. She was the calm one who kept everyone from spiraling out of emotional control. She was the healer. Yet now the Healer's heart lay in a hospital bed, and her patience disappeared long ago.

None of the tests gave any positive conclusion as to why Yu had fallen into a coma. Nothing the doctors did could bring his best friend back to the land of the living, and there was no reason why he should even be unconscious.

Yosuke thought back to the day before they'd gone to rescue Yukiko from her Shadow. He'd had a theory tested then and had its legitimacy proven. It was a long shot at the time, but then so were a lot of things in his life in the past year. One more crazy idea wouldn't hurt the list.

He stood and stepped up next to Yu's bed. This might not work, and the danger factor blew way beyond a '10' on the 'are you nuts?!' scale, but he had to do everything in his power to help- even if it meant harvesting the longest of long-shot ideas. There was no way he was going to let Yu Narukami fall. His best friend had brought him back from the brink more times than he could count. The least he could do was return the favor. Yu was his brother.

He reached down, paused, and wrapped his long fingers around Yu's left wrist. Whatever energy he had left from the day, he put into an order to his own Persona. _Talk to Izanagi._

Silence filled the room in between the medical monitoring equipment.

"Any time, man," he whispered to both his Persona and to Yu. "C'mon. Say something…"

He tightened his grip, as if that would help the connection.

_Yosuke…_

He inhaled sharply. It was incredibly faint, but there was no mistaking Yu's voice...or it could have been Izanagi's. He'd only heard his friend's Persona a few times, and they sounded very much the same. "Fight, partner. Wake up."

He stood there waiting patiently as the minutes ticked away. His eyes closed of their own accord.

~Well? Did you hear anything?~

Silence.

~… Jiraiya.~

Rain pattered against the window.

~What, did you fall asleep? Where the hell are you?~

_Yo._

Pleased he'd even received a response, Yosuke let out a breath of relief. Jiraiya was notorious for ignoring his attempts at conversation. He still clung to the 'saving your sanity' twinky defense, although Yosuke had broken through on more than a few occasions. Apparently, Jiraiya held a subtle rebellious thrill is breaking his own rule. ~Did you hear anything?~

_And how._

~Knock it off with the suspense already and spill it,~ he growled at the thought.

_You…you don't want to know, man. _

"Seriously?" he hissed out loud. "Dude, where are we? Where the _fuck_ are we, and what am I doing right now? Getting his measurements for a watch band?!"

Chie stirred from the sound.

He bit his lip, afraid he'd wake her up. She rested peacefully- calm, and warm in her sleep. He didn't have the heart to bring her back to this nightmare. Though it was a small gesture no one would know of, he felt he needed to protect her, even if she could protect herself. She could be abrasive at times, but he wouldn't have her any other way.

He heard a sigh. _Fine. You've been warned, dumbass. Yu's there, as is Izanagi, but… so are THEY._

~Eh? What do you mean? Who's 'they?'~

_Them. Every Persona he can control. They're all there, …and they're all awake._

Yosuke's eyes flashed open. "Holy shit."

_That's what I said. I only got back because of you. _

~'Got ba-' Hold on. You were in his head?~

_You said to talk to Izanagi, so that's what I did. Or...tried to do. It's a whole different ball of rice, diving into someone elses bowl of Nikudon_.

He paused a slight moment to process the analogy. Were his witty remarks always that obscure?

_Yes. Yes, they are. _

~So, if you're a part of my soul, I should know what you experienced.~

_Oh, you will. In about 4…3…2…Cue dramatic info dump reaction._

Yosuke pressed his hands to the sides of his head to try to compress a flash of new memories that burst through his minds eye in fireworks of emotions and images. He stepped back from the force of the onslaught, waiting for the experience to fade and the memories to merge as if he'd been there himself. He saw numerous pairs of eyes staring back at him from the depths of a vast ocean, from beneath it, and even from the sky where the ground sloped upward to the clouds like a curl of wood shaving. He stood on its shore. Dozens of hands of various sizes reached out with needy fingers. His ankle became trapped in the grip of a hand so incredibly cold, he shivered involuntarily. It was Jack Frost. Voices caged him in, all speaking at once, all demanding to be heard. He felt his heart race as he broke free and ran away. To hell with this place. He ran up a set of stairs to a floating platform and lept over it into the shore of the Semegawa river. He followed something that looked like a blue transparent cord coming from his chest –his connection to himself. One familiar silver-haired person appeared in the distance.

Yu stretched out his hand toward Jiraiya before Izanagi's protective form surrounded him away from the attacking voices. The samurai Persona said Yosuke's name once. Then he was gone in a heart beat.

Stunned, Yosuke slowly lowered his hands.

_Ee-yeah. It's like M. C. Escher puked in there, dude. It's seriously messed up. _

~You gotta go back. You gotta get him back to the surface so he can wake up.~

_Eh, no. Sorry, buddy. No can do. Whatever woke them up tried to pull me down with them. I'm not strong enough to get all up in that kind of biz-niz. _

~But we are with help?~

_I think we're gonna need a bigger boat._

Yosuke looked to the sleeping Chie. "Then I'll call an emergency meeting. The Midnight Channel Investigation Team has one more mission to complete."

* * *

**Next Scent: Rescue Operation**


	3. Rescue Operation

**Author's note: Thanks for the reviews and favorites, guys. :) I'm happy to provide entertainment. I love hearing what you have to say, which parts you liked, what lines you like the best, and of course, I appreciate you all for taking the time to read this. **

**To be clear, I've never played any of the Persona games -since I don't own a system capable of said fun times- so I've been studying my little cycling butt off to make this as awesome as I can. It's funny how this is how I'm going to learn about the Persona users attacks. **

**And now, back to the shenanigans.**

* * *

**Rescue Operation**

_January 6__th__. Raining. Yu Narukami's hospital room in the evening after chowing down on delivery Nikudon from Aiya's Chinese Restaurant._

"I hope you all know why I called you here," Yosuke began.

Teddy bounced up and down. "We never had a Persona Pow-Wow before! This is beary exciting!"

_You realize this entire conversation goes against everything we do to keep you guys sane, right? _Sukuna, Naoto's Persona, snarked.

The investigation team filled the small room. They faced each other in a huddle with their hands stacked in the middle. The link between them hummed with life and knit together the voices of their true selves.

"Circumstances being what they are, I think we can overlook that rule this time," Chie answered. The tall brunette had filled her in on what transpired the night before. She found it tough to believe such a fantastic tale, but she also knew Yosuke well enough to know he wouldn't joke about something as serious as the health of their friend, or any possible way to save him. She'd remained quiet as he explained it.

"You said it was 'vitally important, time sensitive, and the very balance of the galaxy was at stake,'" Yukiko repeated his words verbatim from their phone conversation that morning.

"Mm, steak."

"Chie."

"Right. Focusing."

"Maybe not the galaxy, but it's still epic. I'm just gonna come out and say it:" Yosuke cleared his throat. He had to be sure he was clearly heard. "Yu's buried under all of his persona and the only way we can wake him up is go in and dig him out."

_What do you mean 'go in and dig him out_?' Konohana's soprano voice lilted the question.

_I think he means we need our Human selves to locate Narukami-san's individual consciousness._

"Wait, us?" Rise blinked in disbelief at Himiko's voice. She'd blithely suggested it with such ease. "Why do we have to go? Why can't you guys?"

_Because I came from your heart._ Everyone heard her persona speak up._ I use your spiritual energy to amplify my power. _

_We all do with our other halves, _Added Kintoki, Teddy's Persona.

Jiraiya continued. _My energy comes from Captain Clutz here, which means you guys are the batteries. You'll have a better chance of getting out of that sea of Persona in one piece._

_All of you will_, Konohana, Yukiko's persona chimed in.

"So if we go, what happens to us out here?" Chie asked.

_We'll protect you._ Tomoe's resolution rang solid through each of them._ We'll still be connected. I would die before letting any harm come to you._

"We're really gonna do this? Go inside his head?" Kanji stammered. Clearly this was incredibly uncomfortable for him. "Isn't that freakin' impossible?"

"It seems impossible," Yukiko sighed.

_It's not impossible, just improbable, and highly unlikely to succeed by known scientific means. _Sukuna stated. Naoto remained silent even though her voice –altered slightly- could clearly be heard by everyone in the circle. _Given the right expenditure of spiritual energy, a swap to a location, or person, of singular focus is technically achievable given the proof of what we're already capable of. This is so exciting._

_What Young Frankenstein here means to say, _Jiraiya interjected,_ is to pretend this conversation is reversed. We'll pool our ultimate awesomeness together to switch places and send you all through the link the same way we're all connecting right now. In fact, we can try a little experiment of switching Tomoe with Chie and—_

She stomped hard on Yosuke's foot.

"Ow! Why?! He said it!"

"He's you, so you said it."

"Semantics," Yosuke grumbled.

_It wasn't even anything dirty! Ow... my foot...I gotta walk on that. _

"Even though it sounds ridiculous, I'm willing to try, " Yukiko spoke over Jiraiya's complaining.

"What if we get stuck?" Teddy looked worriedly to each of his friends. "What if we can't get out?"

_Then don't get stuck. _Take-Mikazuchi, Kanji's Persona, bluntly stated.

"No way I'm gonna let that happen," Kanji glanced to Naoto, who blushed in kind.

Yosuke was the first to let go, feeling the contact from the others fade away and moved to Yu's right. "It's your choice." He regarded each of them with a level of seriousness he rarely displayed. Normally, he was the jokester, the one who lightened the mood with corny catch phrases, or witty one liners. Right now, in this room, that Yosuke was nowhere to be found. "No one has to do this if they don't want to. You can walk out now and we won't think any less of you. We'll still be friends. But I'm going after him."

"And let you hog all the glory? Nice try, Hanamura. I'm not letting you out of my sight." Chie stood next to him.

"You seriously think that little speech is gonna make any of us back out after everything that's happened? You're more of idiot than I thought." Kanji stood at the foot of the bed.

"Narukami-kun would do the same for any of us," Naoto stepped up to the left side of the bed.

"He's saved all of us." Yukiko took a place near Yu's head.

"Yu-Senpai needs us, and I won't let him fight alone," Rise let her gaze stay on the comatose boy from next to Yukiko.

"I will not abandon Sensei to the darkness!" Teddy moved up next to Kanji.

It was amazing how one person could bring together so many different people from various walks of life. They were all going to put themselves in danger yet again for someone they loved. For their leader. "Then let's do this." Yosuke clasped his hand around Yu's right wrist. "Everyone focus on Narukami. Whatever your Persona needs to do, let them do it." He took a deep breath to strengthen his courage. "Rescue operation: 'Wild Card.' -Begin."

Chie placed her hand on his shoulder.

Rise lay her head down on his chest.

Yukiko rested her palm gently on his forehead.

Teddy and Kanji each touched his bare feet.

Naoto wrapped her small fingers around his other hand as best she could.

For a long moment, nobody spoke, though everyone closed their eyes.

"This is so many shades of awkward," Kanji muttered.

"Shh. Just concentrate," Naoto nudged him in the side.

The room went silent once more.

Yosuke felt the same static tingle at the point of contact and focused on it.

He thought he heard the crackling of knuckles come from his Persona. The sudden sense of 'this is probably a bad idea, and really going to hurt' quickly swept over him. His moment of panic was quickly crushed by someone-Jiraiya- grabbing the back of his head.

_Hold onto your butts._

He felt a push from the within his own mind, then a rush of air accompanied by a falling sensation. When he opened his eyes again, he was at the Tatsuhime shrine just above the shopping district. Rain peppered the ground in silvery darts, and lightning flashed overhead. He had to be in Yu's head. With the storm going on out in the real world, and somehow also in here, the sounds of the weather must have been bleeding through Narukami's hearing into his…dream? Whatever this place was.

He quickly took shelter and brushed his hands over his clothes to sweep away the extra water, when his hand swept through a strong, condensed current in front of his chest. He waved his hand back and forth to find it isolated in one spot. Only when he turned his palm upwards did he see the faint blue outline of what looked like a cord. He moved his hand away and the cord faded from view. Jiraiya's memory cleared up his confusion. This was his connection to his own mind –to Jiraiya. Which meant he was _actually_ inside the mind of Yu Narukami and not passed out drooling on the floor. If he had this, it was a solid bet the others did, too.

"Freaky," he mused. He called into the surroundings through cupped hands. "Yu? Yu!"

"Over here! Hanamura-chan!" Rise ran up to him, covering her head from the rain and took shelter beneath the shrine. "That was an even stranger trip than through the T.V. Did you find Yu-senpai?"

He shook his head. "I just got here. Where's everyone else?"

"Right here, man." Kanji walked up with the others right behind. He glanced around. "So, this is Senpai's coconut, huh? Shit, I expected something cool. Not this sleepy crap town. Why the hell would anyone pick this stupid place as their dream?"

"Second question: Why is it raining in his head?" Teddy stepped back underneath the protective overhang of the shrine for a clear view of the slate gray sky.

"He probably has to pee," Yosuke said absently without really thinking as he scanned the area around them.

Chie scrunched up her nose in disgust. "Ugh! Really, Yosuke?"

"Ew!" Rise suddenly didn't want to have anything to do with the rain. "Don't go saying things like that! We're here! That's so gross!"

"Focus, you guys. Remember what we're doing here," Naoto spoke up. She twisted her blue hat in her hands to wring out the extra water. "Besides, dreaming of water is a perfectly natural psychological phenomena in that case."

"Not helping," Rise glared at the short detective.

"Right," Yosuke looked to the group. "Jiraiya said all of his Personae were awake, so we could run into any of them at any time."

"How many does he have again?" Yukiko asked.

"Er, he can merge them, so..." Yosuke scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I have no idea. I wasn't paying attention."

"'Lotta help _you_ are," Kanji rolled his eyes. "Why don't we split up? Take different sections of the town, and meet up back here in an hour?"

Chie nodded. "Good idea. Visiting hours at the hospital will end in about two hours."

"Amazing!" Teddy shifted his feet to show off a stronger pose. "The stalwart adventurers, diving into the consciousness of their leader to rescue him from the clutches of certain doom! The girls, quivering with fear, cling to the bravest bear to protect them."

"Who let him come along?" Kanji looked three breaths away from punting the short kid down the steps to the street.

"He's a part of this group, too." Naoto stated.

"Eh... right. Well, he ain't commin' with me." The rebel let those words replace him as he stalked off into the rain.

Naoto sighed and jogged off after him to keep up.

"I'll go with Teddy. He can distract me from the...ugh...rain." Rise tapped the bear on the shoulder, and the two moved off into the weather.

The sight of a few staircases ending suddenly into nothing caught Yukiko's attention. "This place really reminds me of Wonderland."

"Wonder-what?" Yosuke arched an eyebrow.

"Alice in Wonderland. Written by Lewis Carol in the 19th century. It's classic literature," Yukiko explained.

"Oh, an old book. That explains why I don't know what you're talking about."

She rolled her eyes. "Disney also made it into a cartoon?"

"Oh! Yeah, with the white rabbit! I saw that once."

She sighed. "Figures."

"Uh, guys? I don't think we're alone anymore." Chie pointed across the courtyard to the shrine entrance where a yellow flame swayed lazily from side to side. It drifted toward them yet remained lit despite the downpour. A pair of jaundice-yellow eyes opened from within a red hood that completely shadowed its face. "Wha-what is that?"

"Oh man, it's the Jawa from hell," Yosuke slid a foot back through a sudden shock of fear. It took a moment to register the lantern, the hood, and the fire that taunted anything to snuff it out. Its face cracked, showing a sinister grin of sharp white teeth.

"I think it's one of Narukami's Persona," Yukiko couldn't tear her eyes from that sinister smile. Adrenaline pulsed through her with terror of being torn to shreds by those wicked teeth.

Pyrojack locked them in its steely glare. Its devil grin spread.

Yosuke's eyed widened. Pyrojack was the first Persona Yu had used to defend against Chie's shadow outside of Izanagi. It had saved his life. He'd never thought that power could ever be dangerous to them. It was a part of their friend's soul, a part of the person they would each give their lives for. He knew how much the group meant to him –to them both – and neither would dream of turning their power against their friends. Chie, Yukiko, Rise, Naoto, Kanji, even Teddy were family. They used their skills to protect each other.

It couldn't be more evident that Yu Narukami was no longer in control of his Persona.

Their situation had just spiraled downhill from 'bad,' to 'You-have-got-to-be-kidding-me.'

"Oh man," he stammered. "You have got to be kidding me."

* * *

**There's a rough week ahead of me, so this chapter may be the last for a few days. I've already written a bit of the next chapter, so I promise I won't leave you hanging for ever.  
**

**I've got a few voice over parts I'm auditioning for, so my writing may be brief for a while as I focus on creating a career out of this. Cross your fingers for the "Adventure Time" project I auditioned for yesterday. :3**

**Next Scent: Fragile Bonds**


	4. Fragile Bonds

**Author's note: A double whammy! This one is extremely short, but I felt it necessary to post for plot advancement. I would have combined it with chapter 3, but I liked the cliff hanger ending too much. As I said before, I have a long week ahead of me, so probably won't post for a while. Until then, enjoy!**

* * *

**Fragile Bonds**

His arm extended out to the side in front of Chie, as if that would ward off danger.

She glanced to his arm, then to him, confused. Was he trying to protect her? It was a simple act of chivalry she hadn't expected. She was taken by surprise, flattered, and insulted at the same time.

The lantern flared brightly as Pyrojack turned his attention on him. The rain seemed to part like a curtain as a fireball exploded from the lantern.

The three of them cried out and scattered to avoid the blast. The fireball struck the shrine and destroyed the offering box where visitors could place tokens of respect to their ancestors.

Yosuke got to his feet. "Perso—! Oh… right. Wah!" and he dove out of the way of another powerful attack.

"We can't call our Persona, and we don't have any weapons!" Chie screamed as the rogue Persona charged her. She rolled out of the way. "We're so screwed."

"Why is it attacking us?" Yukiko hid behind a pillar.

"Maybe it knows we're not part of the gang." Chie ran across the distance, avoiding another burst with an impressive handover somersault. She puffed and panted, taking refuge next to her best friend.

"Like a body's immune system defending itself. We're the intruders." Yukiko risked a glance around the pillar. "By the way, nice moves."

"Thanks. Yikes!" The two split up away from their shelter as another fireball blew the pillar into chunks of stone.

Chie's response to their assailant would be to send Tomoe in to deliver a roundhouse kick to its head, but this was a spirit, and Tomoe wasn't here. It didn't have a body to injure. However, neither did she. That made her wonder if the damage she may sustain here would transfer back to her body the same as it did with their Persona in battle. It was all way too weird, but it was real.

Pyrojack's light flared again, this time in a stream of fire.

She didn't have more than a second to think of an attack before Yosuke leaped in front of her.

"Chie!" He threw out his right hand automatically. The wind power that would normally explode from his Persona rushed from his body, from the invisible cord, and exploded outward at their attacker.

Pyrojack's flame licked harmlessly into the sky. It spun through the air to crash into the building across the courtyard. The impact sent a massive plume of dirt and dust into the air. Rock, roofing tiles, and stone shrapnel rained down around it.

The two girls stared at him in shock. "Whoa..."

"That was your Persona's power," Yukiko's jaw dropped.

He'd just gone with his gut reaction to protect his friends. "That was... Awesome!" He thrust his fist into the air, standing tall. "Hahah! Woo! Yeah! Take that, you Halloween costume reject! Who's the badass now, eh?"

Two glowing eyes blinked into existence from the swirling, settling dust cloud.

"I think you just made it really angry." Chie slid one foot back and grinned mischievously. Her friend's revelation had given her an idea. She wasn't powerless anymore. She charged the injured Pyrojack in an aerial side kick. The energy pulled from her, from her link to Tomoe, and sent a line of ice from her foot through the air to slam into the fire Persona. The rush of power sent a chill up her spine. It was thrilling, amazing, and she'd never felt more capable.

Pyrojack became one with the wall again. He drifted forward slowly, though dropped the lantern. Static flickered throughout his defeated form.

Chie raised her leg in a battle cry to send another blast of ice when Yosuke caught her foot with his other hand on her back to balance her.

"Stop! Don't destroy it!"

"It was trying to kill us!"

He let her go. "It's still a part of Yu. Destroying it might harm him. We can't take the risk." He looked down at the weakened Persona, who shifted its gaze to him in return. He knelt down. "You're gonna answer some questions, firecracker, and you're gonna tell us the truth. Why did you all wake up?"

Pyrojack opened his mouth to show those teeth again. Sound crackled like a fireplace flames from the pitch dark of its face. "Sssssummoned."

"Who? Who summoned you?" He demanded.

Pyrojack gurgled a response.

Yosuke reached down and grabbed a fistfull of its hood. "Answer me."

"Yosuke..." it hissed.

He blinked in confused disbelief. "What the hell are you talking about? I didn't summon you."

The injured Persona moved to sit on the ground and stared at its lantern. "Friend," it sighed. "Want to...live."

He didn't get it at all.

Yukiko knelt next to them. "This is a part of Narukami. It wants to live. They're all awake, so it makes sense that they all want to 'live' at the same time. It overloaded him and put him in a coma."

"Alright, but that still doesn't answer who woke them all up in the first place." Chie stepped back and calmed down.

Yosuke let it go and stood. As he did, the injured persona's eyes closed. Its form dissolved into a cerulean blue mist to hover over the stone. It didn't speak, nor did it move or make any motion of attack. It was simply... sated. It was asleep.

"It knows you, so it must be associated with you somehow." Yukiko stood and brushed off her skirt. The motion to clear the mud from her clothes was pointless since the rain continued to fall. "Maybe it's your bond with Yu?"

"That's likely. All of his Persona are connected to his life since he moved here." Chie frowned. "You're right. We can't destroy any of them."

Yosuke stared down the hill toward the shopping district where Kanji and Naoto had gone. "Crap. I hope the others get it."

No one wanted to think of what would happen if any of his Persona were taken down permanently.

No one wanted to try.

* * *

**Next Scent: "Perspective"**


	5. Perspective

**Author's Note: The wait between posts will be longer than before, because I'm having to learn about the Persona. Plus, it's been one heck of a couple of weeks that has taken me to the Angry Dome once or twice. **

**BIG NEWS...! I've been cast as the voice for 'Nevada' in an online game you can play on an iphone or android! WOOO! I get the scripts for episodes 1 and 2 next week. The game is set to release in October. :D It's my first Voice Acting gig beyond what I've done for friends! Although I won't get paid, I'll get copy and credit, plus majorly needed experience and practice. I don't care if I get paid. I'm just thrilled I get to be the voice for a little chibi anime character that controls ice and snow! The game will be called "Tormenta." My character is so cute. She's all gloomy and has a snowman form. This is going to be so much fun. **

**Someday I'll be up there with the big boys. Someday... That is my ultimate goal. **

**Until then, please enjoy this next bit of Persona love. And thank you to everyone who favorited and reviewed, and to any who will favorite and review. I love hearing what you have to say. :D Be excellent to each other. **

* * *

"It's still raining."

Yu stood at the window of his upstairs bedroom as the rain continued to fall. He'd been watching the color of Inaba gradually fade, as though washed out from too many laundry cycles. A billowing fog bank touched the edge of the horizon in every direction, obscuring the world beyond. The entire city was completely surrounded. It almost gave the effect of the town being the center of a monstrous snow globe. Every so often, he could see a shadowy figure move up or down the street. "Why are they all after me? Why did they all wake up?

"I wish I knew," a slightly deeper voice carrying his own vocal tone stated calmly from the room.

Yu watched two figures move down the street, glance at the house, and keep going. He recognized them as Pixie and Kikuri-Hime. He slammed his hand against the windowsill. "Dammit! None of this makes sense! We defeated Adachi, saved the world from the fog and from everyone turning into Shadows. Why is this happeneing?" He'd even been given the o.k to move in with his Uncle Dojima. The sacred acceptance he'd spent years searching for, lived here in Inaba within the people he called friends. Yet for some reason, something or someone didn't think all of their sacrifice was enough.

"I saw Jiraiya." He dipped his head slightly, remembering the mass of personae attacking that of his best friend's. "How is that possible? He isn't one of my Persona." He balled up his fist. The only way he knew for two separate energies to communicate was through physical touch. It made sense that Yosuke would try to reach him using that option, since he's the one who originally discovered that particular method. However, seeing the other's true self...feeling that other entity searching for him was like having melted snow run-off splashed into his face. Jiraiya had somehow connected with him, and his Personae tried to bury him as well. He was happy that part of his friend's soul had escaped. "Why didn't you let me speak to him?"

"My job is to protect you from danger," Izanagi stated. "Even that which comes from within."

"I can't stay here." He exhaled and turned to face his true self. Izanagi stood straight and proud –as he always did when summoned in the t.v. World. However, he was the size of the normal Human here. "I can't be a prisoner in my own mind!"

The light, quick knocking at his door broke the tension. Yu opened it to find the innocent big brown eyes of his little niece looking up at him. "Nanako..."

"Big bro? There's a lot of noise outside. It's scaring me."

He knelt down to her level and smiled. "It's ok, Nanako. They won't hurt you."

She shook her head from side to side. "I'm scared to be home alone. Please say you won't go. I don't ever want you to leave me."

His heart melted at the intensity of her need. Although he knew this was his Persona representing his bond to her, he couldn't disappoint her –even if it was a defeated part of himself. He'd accepted her when Izanagi had brought him home. She'd immediately calmed down and changed into the form he saw now; a form he was comfortable with -a form he would protect with his life. He pulled her into a hug. "It'll be ok. I promise."

He felt the room shift with his point of view. For a second, he saw himself through her eyes –smiling, happy to not be abandoned, and felt the joy of a new family. When he blinked, he was back in his own body. He remembered what is was like to be sent away, to have promises broken and expectations crushed. The hardest thing about living in the city wasn't the fact that his parents would leave on long business trips. It was the cold reality that he couldn't keep any friends. He pushed them away out of defense. He didn't want to feel the pain of separation when he had to leave again. It was a survival mechanism. Yet here, with Nanako, his friends, and his uncle in this little Podunk town in the middle of nowhere, he wouldn't have to trigger the safety anymore. He was needed here. He wanted to keep that.

She smiled as if sensing the switch in his perception. "Great! I'll get dinner ready." With a smile on her face, Nanako –his Persona to family—skipped down the stairs.

Yu stood with a heavy exhale and turned to look outside. It was still raining, but the town was becoming more and more clear. He walked downstairs and out into the back yard, casually sliding the door aside. The air was cool, crisp, and the breeze spoke of home. Even the rain was refreshing. Yes, the more he looked at it, the more he realized he was home.

A slow smile curved at the edges of his lips. He was in Inaba. He would go to school tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. He would go on spring break to the beach with his friends. He would spend the summer at a part time job, or maybe get a bike to ride some of the backhill trails Yosuke had told him about. His best friend had never ridden them himself –owning a road bike from the city made the trails a little difficult to manage—so this would be a prime opportunity to challenge his friend and maybe the others to a ride.

Yu Narukami no longer saw an image created from his own subconscious. He saw the small town that had saved him. He was home in Inaba. And that was the truth.

Izanagi felt the change in himself, and sighed. He knew what Yu had just done, and sadly, he had been a part of the lie. He had to do something about it.

A rush of familiarity breezed through the room and drew his attention to the neatly organized desk in the corner. The card representing all of the Jack brothers and King Frost materialized, spun lazily in the air, then laid itself gently down on top of the desk. Curious, he took a closer look. Sure enough, this Persona attached to his best friend had been defeated. No. It had been accepted. Someone else had faced Pyrojack and won. Someone not born of the sea of Yu's soul.

Izanagi took the card in hand and moved downstairs. "Yu."

The other turned around. He could make out the small form of Nanako moving around the kitchen at the back of the house, when he caught sight of the card in his Persona's palm.

Izanagi held it out without a word, opened his fingers, and lowered his hand. The card hovered in the air unaided.

Curious, he reached out to touch it. As soon as his fingers brushed it, is dissolved in the same manner the arcana cards had done for his friends whenever they'd faced their shadows. The energy slid like silk into his body. It pulsed, hummed with life, and the bond itself strengthened. It seemed to be made of steel. The energy willingly left him alone and drifted back to sleep to leave its person at peace.

Instantly, a flurry of images flashed through his mind. His eyes widened at the figures attacking him with powers he knew only to come from the manifestations of their souls. He saw them walking up to him, speaking to him, until he finally realized that bond would never be broken. Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko's faces were the most lucid visions he'd seen since he'd awakened in a rainy Inaba.

"They tried to kill my Persona? But… why?"

"They left this aspect of you alone this time," Izanagi's voice filled the room though it was soft. "But if they destroy any of them, they destroy you."

He stared in shock. "They wouldn't," he began.

"They must be stopped, and you know it." Izanagi took a step forward. Nanako continued to cook her meal behind them without the slightest interest. "Make them leave Inaba."

"I can't." Yu stepped back until he was against the cement wall in the back yard. "They're my friends."

"Then send them home."

"Home…" Yu stared into the yellow eyes of the other. The fortitude in the command surged through their connection. "I must... send them home."

They stared at one another, locked in the connection of wills.

"Big bro? Dinner's ready." Nanako's voice drifted like chimes in the wind.

His silver eyes shifted toward the house. "Coming." His voice was soft. He moved past Izanagi into the house and didn't even question why he was suddenly completely dry even though he'd been standing outside in a downpour in his socks. If he was meant to be alone, others wouldn't pay the price. He didn't want to die, but he couldn't let them be hurt. Izanagi was right. "I will send them home, but they must not be harmed. Promise me, Izanagi."

The samurai turned smoothly to face the living area.

"Promise me." Yu stopped. "I…love them."

Izanagi nodded once in the rain.

Even though his other Personae were all awake and seeking to gain the coveted place of 'Leader' in Yu's mind, they would know of the new objective. Before they could overcome Yu, they must remove the invading consciousness'.

Izanagi had just bought precious time for his Person's survival.

* * *

_Outside an empty Aiya's Chinese Restaurant._

"Won't this damn rain ever quit? It's effing ridiculous." Kanji leaned against the outside wall of Aiya's Chinese restaurant. The inside was dark, but the door had been left unlocked. He figured there was no reason to lock anything since no one technically lived here. Keeping anything secure for any reason made no sense. You couldn't rob someone's brain and skip town with the loot. "It's been twenty minutes. If he had to take a leak, he probably did it already."

"It's a manifestation of something bothering him. Whether it's related to this situation or not, is impossible to tell unless we delve into his memories. And I wouldn't want to." Naoto looked up and down the street for a hint of their next move. "Being here is invasion of privacy enough."

"Shit, even in his head this town is the size of a mosquito's junk. We should have come across something by now. He should at least know we're all here. I mean, damn, there's seven of us in his head." He knit his brow in an attempt to focus through the sheets of water pouring from the sky.

"He's probably protecting himself somewhere. If all of his personae awoke at once, they most likely all crave control, which means they would have to take it from the leader of Narukami's mind –Yu himself."

He slid her a worried glance. "Then, the guy we know would-"

"-Be lost in here forever."

The sound of the rain filled the uncomfortable, heavy silence between them. "Why couldn't he ever do anything half-assed for once?" Irritated, Kanji folded his arms. Yu always turned everything into a big deal. It didn't matter if it was a colossal bowl of meat and rice –mostly meat, or chasing down a killer. Yu gave one-hundred percent to everything he ever did, and to everyone he ever knew. That was part of what Kanji respected about him the most.

Naoto opened her mouth to respond when a shadow drifted into sight down the street. It's slim form hovered effortlessly above the pavement.

"Crap. Inside." Kanji opened the door to Aiya's and the two quickly skirted into the darkness. They closed the door quietly and ducked under the window, leaving barely enough room to see over the sill.

The feminine form of the Persona paused near a light post. The light flickered above it as if the bulb were about to blow. Her flowing white Yukata drifted with the ease of silk in the wind, and didn't appear to be affected by the rain at all. She turned her solid yellow eyes to the dark window.

Naoto felt a slight tickling her her nose. She scrunched her eyes closed to hold back the urge to sneeze when she felt Kanji's strong hand clasp over her mouth and nose, leaving just enough room to breathe. Which was odd since they didn't need air. Everything about this place was an illusion

The elegant Persona let her gaze linger, then moved on up the street.

Kanji removed his hand once he was sure the area was clear. The two risked standing up. "Could you possibly time that any worse?"

"Not if I tried," Her comment came with just as much snit. "Sneezing is a bodily function. It isn't possible."

"Guess what, Genius, your impossibility almost gave us away."

"Your mouth will get us caught first." She sighed. "Let's just find him, ok?" As much as she thought of Kanji as a friend, he could still find new ways to annoy her.

He dug his cell phone from his pocket and clicked it on.

"What are you doing?" She inquired.

"Thought we should call the others. See if they had any luck."

"With what? Our bodies and our phones aren't actually here. Plus, I don't think we'll get reception in Narukami's mind."

He grumped at her logic and stowed the faux phone. "Who would want to do this to him anyway?" Kanji spat.

"Whoever it is had to have repeated contact with him to either know he's a Persona user, be a user themselves, or be from Teddy's world."

"Shadows can't exist on this side. That bear is a freak of nature. The only person to go between worlds like we do was Izanami. That bitch is gone."

"Maybe it's not Izanami this time."

"Wha…" Kanji paused. "Another god? Jeeze, what is it with this place? Dude's like the ass end of a magnet."

Naoto opened her mouth to debate the idea of a magnet having an actual top or bottom, when a deep chuckle leaked out of the depths of the restaurant. Two red eyes blinked into existence in the darkness. What crept forward carried an air of malicious intent. Its large hulking body stepped into the sallow light bleeding through the windows from the street lamps outside, and it eyed them with hunger.

Kanji felt his chest clench with fear. The Persona they faced seemed to lock its glare on him, and it didn't ask to be welcomed with a knitted keychain kitty.

* * *

**Next Scent... uhm... wait for it... **

**Please R&R and let me know what you think. :)**


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